Polly Baca was born in Weld County, Colorado back in 1941 to Jose and Leda. When she was 3 the family moved to Greeley, Colorado. She graduated from the Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.
She joined the “Young Democrats” of the university as a volunteer for congressional campaigns. After graduation, she worked as an editorial assistant for a trade union newspaper in Washington, DC. In 1962, she worked for the Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks. In 1967, she was recruited to work for President Lyndon Johnson as a public information officer for a White House Interagency Committee.
She became an assistant to the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. She moved back to Colorado where in 1974 she won Colorado’s 34th district seat in the state’s House of Representatives and four years later she was elected to chair of the House Democratic Caucus. She went on to serve in the congress, in fact she the first woman to hold the Chair of the Democratic Caucus of the Colorado House of Representatives and the first Hispanic woman elected to the Colorado State Senate.
Not bad, not bad at all considering when she moved to Greeley the community allowed segregation in churches, theaters and business establishments. Mexicans and Mexican Americans were separated from the mainstream community. Now, with her overcoming all those obstacles what is your excuse? Until tomorrow, remember to keep a smile on your face and a penny in your pocket.
Comments(16)